How to Not Be Nervous Playing in Front of People

Darcy, an Improvising with the Blues Scale course member, asked me if it’s possible to practice not being nervous.

I love this question.

And if you’re anything like Darcy and me, you’ve had to deal with nerves, too – especially during performances.

I’m happy to report there are indeed ways to practice not being nervous.

Here are two of my favorites…

First up: Practice swinging with two bats.

In the early days of baseball, batters would warm up by swinging with multiple bats to increase their bat speed. When they went to “perform,” their normal, single bat would feel much lighter than in “the practice room.”

You can get the same effect in your practice room by making your exercises more difficult than your performances.

For instance, if you have a solo on a rhythm changes at 180 bpm, make sure you can improvise comfortably in the practice room at 240 bpm. Trust me, that’ll make 180 feel like a breeze.

(A word of warning: nerves tend to make people rush, so when you’re on the bandstand, you may need to compensate by reminding yourself to lay back and play slower than what feels normal.)

The other way I recommend practicing not being nervous is becoming more self-reliant…

That means not relying on the sheet music to remind you of the changes.

That means not relying on a backing track to help you keep the form.

See where I’m going with this?

You’ll gain confidence in your playing when you’re prepared.

And a big part of being prepared is moving as much of the music-making process as possible from your conscious mind to your sub-conscious mind.

Fact is, it’s much easier to improvise when you’re not thinking (consciously) about chords, scales, time, phrasing, etc.

Think in the practice room so you can play on the bandstand.

Finally, a big part of being nervous is the fear of “going blank” aka not knowing what to play.

The same is true in conversation. Awkward silences are uncomfortable. Thankfully, they can be avoided. Any people-skills book will tell you it’s a good idea to have questions, answers, and stories at the ready to help keep the conversation flowing whenever there’s a lull.

What’s the musical equivalent?

Having a strong vocabulary of licks internalized and ready to play for those moments when you go blank. And the funny thing is, you’ll be much less likely to go blank in the first place when you have the confidence that comes from having a strong vocabulary.

Bottom line: take time to learn licks. But really learn them. Make sure you know them in your bones.

My Sick Licks series is a great place to start, not only because you’ll be able to easily find the licks that are right for your style and skill level, but also because I’ve included lots of tips on how to practice and internalize the lines.

With each lick that you add to your arsenal, you’ll gain more confidence, melt away those nerves, and actually enjoy playing music.

If that sounds good to you, get yourself some Sick Licks today.

Click here to get Sick Licks and save big on the bundles.

Happy shedding,

Jeff